Inception phase and lessons learned from Ethiopia on early childhood development and education in emergencies: A play-based approach

• In Event: Play-based early childhood Interventions: Transformative pathways to equitable and inclusive ECCE

Proposal

Background: Northern Ethiopia is experiencing a complex and multi-layered emergency including conflict, climactic shocks, and related displacement and disease outbreaks, further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has negatively affected the operation of 1-year pre-primary, which has been the cornerstone of the Government of Ethiopia’s (GOE) “National Early Childhood Development and Education Policy” implementation. At best, the early childhood development and education (ECDE) needs of crisis-affected children are being addressed predominantly in internally displaced people (IDP) camps and refugee settlements through non-formal services like temporary learning spaces and child-friendly spaces. However, the extent to which these spaces offer a structured, play-based and inclusive ECDE curriculum varies significantly. Given the profound psychological impacts on the workforce and families, and the multiple challenges facing children, a framework that integrates and aligns mental health and psychosocial support, nutrition and education for ECDE-aged children is needed. In May 2023, the Ministry of Education launched the revised Early Childhood Development and Education Policy Framework which makes this integration and alignment possible.
Methods: A partnership between Save the Children (SC), USAID, and the LEGO Foundation began in late 2022 to build access to pre-primary education, and improve learning and holistic development outcomes in the conflict-affected area in the north, and the drought-affected area of the south. Utilizing SC’s existing country-wide footprint, and on-boarding 7 regional implementing partners, this ambitious project began rolling out Accelerated School Readiness (ASR), Emergent Literacy & Math (ELM), and Psychosocial First Aid (PFA) programming, as well as distributing nutritional supplements to 1100 children (549 girls, 551 boys) impacted by conflict and drought. The 8-week quick start ASR program has been implemented since February 2023. SC plans to manage, regulate and provide cost-effective and high-quality play-based early childhood education programs in both conflict and drought-affected areas of Ethiopia. These interventions are all well aligned with the revised National ECD policy.
Results: The quick start program has taught us that the Learning Through Play (LTP) ECDE program approach as practiced in the drought-affected regions of the South is not sufficiently understood by volunteer facilitators thus calling for intensive coaching and mentoring sessions with the facilitators. However, the Childhood Development Activity has seen better results of learning through play in the conflict affected regions of the North. These differences are mainly attributable to culture (in the South) and a longer history of Save the Children’s interventions in the North. Most parents in the ELM program in the South are illiterate; the Childhood Development Activity plans to integrate adult literacy in the parenting education sessions to improve the quality of participation.
Conclusions: These lessons from the inception phase remain vital on how to program one year play-based preprimary education for children and remain responsive and adaptive to designing programming, building systems, and rollout of services for young children in times of complex and ever-changing crisis contexts.

Author

• Alex Alubisia, Save the Children